© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Monday, December 2, 2013
North Fork Christmas Tree Lighting ~ December 3rd
Tuesday, December 3rd, 5:30 pm at the "Crazy Y" parking lot. Bring an ornament if you wish. Refreshments provided.
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
October Community Events
Oct 5
Annual Grizzly Century Bike Ride, 7am Start time at North Fork School, Info: www.grizzlycentury.org
Oct 5
North Fork Fall Festival, Info: 877-4806, 877-4332
Pancake Breakfast, 6-10am, North Fork School, Adults $6, Kids under 12 $5
North Fork Craft Faire, 9am- 2pm, Mill Site Parking Lot
Antique Engine Display, 10am-3pm, Mill Site Parking Lot
NF Women's Club Community Yard Sale, 9am-2pm, Info: 877-4806
NF History Group Display, 10am-3pm, Scout Building by Town Hall
US Forest Service Employees Association Dinner, 2-7pm, Town Hall
Sierra Mono Museum, Rd 225 & 228, Info: 877-2115
Oct 4-6
Sierra Art Trails, North Fork Artists join mountain-wide art event, 10am-6pm, Tickets $18 for two adults, Info: www.sierraarttrails.org
Oct 12
Community Roadside Litter Cleanup, 8am-Noon, Info: 877-2361, 760-1058 & HERE
Oct 12/13
Annual Harvest Arts & Peace Festival, 10am-4pm, Intermountain Nursery, 30443 N. Auberry Rd, Prather. Crafts, Food & Music. Info: 855-3113
Oct 17
Drive-Thru Flu Shot Clinic, 10-11am, North Fork Post Office parking lot, $5
Oct 19
Chili Cook-Off / Pie & Cake Baking Contest, 11:30am-2:30pm, NF Town Hall, Adults $5, Kids 6-12yrs $2, under 5 FREE. Silent auction & door prizes. Fundraiser for NF Women's Club scholarship fund. Info: 877-4332 or 877-4806
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Upcoming Flu Shot Clinics for the Mountain Area
North Fork drive-thru Flu Shot Clinic is scheduled for Thursday, October 17th, 10-11am at the North Fork Post Office parking lot. $5 donation is asked, but no one will be refused service.
Download the PDF file of the above flyer at THIS LINK from the Madera County website.
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Community Roadside Clean-Up ~ Oct 12th
Click image to enlarge.
Call for more info:
North Fork: 877-2361
Coarsegold: 760-1058
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Monday, July 29, 2013
Indian Fair Days ~ August 3rd & 4th
This weekend: August 3rd & 4th
Call (559) 877-2225 for more info
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Pancake Breakfast & More
August 31st, 7am-3pm
For more information about this event call Cathey at (559) 676-7766
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Bass Lake Fireworks Show 2013
 |
| Tall Trees around Bass Lake at Sunset |
We parked our cars and hiked down the road past The Forks restaurant and bar, carrying our folding chairs, blankets, etc down to the lake. We trudged through the tall grass and weeds to find a suitable spot off the path, but with a clear view of the upcoming show that was to happen high in the sky over the water.
Kids ran around us playing with those glow in the dark neon colored rings and other light-up toys. Adults talked, drank beer and smoked whatever. A hubbub of sounds. Everyone waiting for the annual fireworks show to begin.
 | |||
| Starburst in the Night Sky ~ Ooooh! |
The show started slowly, then picked up speed as the night went on.
 | |
| Big Bang! Then beautiful Flower Burst! ~ Aaaah! |
And then the finale of the evening:
Sunday, July 7, 2013
2013 Loggers Jamboree Main Street Parade
 |
| Spectators gathered in the shade |
 |
| North Fork Fire Truck ~ Up Close! |
 |
| From Tree to You! The 2013 Jamboree theme |
 |
| Military Color Guard approaches |
 |
| Color Guard Displays the Flag |
 |
| Green Fire Truck ~ Engine 51 |
 |
| Big and Shiny Log Carrier |
 |
| Heavy Load of Logs! |
 |
| Sierra Mono Museum Float |
 |
| Grand Marshall Float |
 |
| Horses are part of the small town Parade Experience |
 |
| Smokey the Bear and the US Forest Service Float |
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Loggers Jamboree July 6th-7th
Saturday, July 6th
Annual Mid-Sierra Loggers Jamboree, Info: (559) 877-2237, 676-7766
Pro-Am Contest, 10am, $5 admission, Recreation Center
Horseshoe Pitching Contest, 12 noon, (559) 274-1705
Grand Parade down North Fork’s Main St, 5pm, Info: (559) 877-7141
BBQ at Town Hall, 6pm
Woodchoppers Ball & Queen Coronation, Recreation Ctr, 8:30pm, $10/person, $15/couple
Sunday, July 7th
Annual Mid-Sierra Loggers Jamboree, Info: (559) 877-2237, 676-7766
Lions Club Pancake Breakfast, NF Town Hall, 7-9:30am
Jamboree Main Logging Events, Recreation Ctr, 12 noon, Gates open 10am, $5 adult admission at gate, under 12 FREE
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Sunday, June 2, 2013
New McKee Grandchild Born Today!
Bob McKee (owner of North Fork Hardware) was made a grandpa for the second time as of today, June 2nd! His new grandson, Kaden Linkhart McKee, was born to son Scott & daughter-in-law Miira at 6.6lbs. He arrived a little earlier than planned, but is a healthy boy with strong lungs and good appetite!
Congratulations to the whole McKee family for this wonderful blessing.
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Friday, May 24, 2013
Riverdance Pick & Gather Festival
June 1 & 2 ~ Riverdance Farms, Livingston, CA
12230 Livingston Cressey Rd
Livingston, CA 95334
Livingston, CA 95334
Organic Blueberries & Cherries! U-pick!
Music:
Live bluegrass, folk acoustic blues, Americana and classical
music, as well as Native American dancers, drummers and storytellers.
Admission:
$10 for adults and $4 for kids and students 3-20 and seniors 65+.
$10 for adults and $4 for kids and students 3-20 and seniors 65+.
Overnight camping is $15.
Info: (209) 761-0081
Thursday, May 23, 2013
YLP Town Hall Meeting ~ May 30th
Supervisor Tom Wheeler’s next Town Hall Meeting will be in
Yosemite Lakes Park on Thursday, May 30th from 6-8 p.m. at the YLP
Clubhouse, 30250 Yosemite Springs Parkway.
Discussion topics include:
Update by Madera County Fire Department on recent area
fires
Update on Yosemite Springs Parkway bridge
project
Update on the County Budget
General discussion on District 5 and County-wide
issues
Maria Miranda
Legislative Assistant, District 5
Supervisor Tom Wheeler's Office
200 W. Fourth St.
Madera, CA 93637
559.662.6050 office
559.673.3302 fax
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Hazard Waste Drop Off ~ June 15th
Yosemite High School
50200 Road 427 • Oakhurst, Ca 93644
for more information call:
(559) 675-7817
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Organic Stone Fruit Jubilee
 |
| Fresh, Juicy Apricots |
June 22 ~ Organic Stone Fruit Jubilee
4-8:30pm, Mokichi Okada Association Oasis Garden
5790 Indianola Av in
Clovis
Adults $5, Kids under 12 FREE
Info: (559) 877-5800 & (559)
324-0465
Taste sixty varieties of peaches, plums, pluots, nectarines, and
apricots from a dozen local certified farms. Enjoy artisanal
foods, farm tours, workshops, music, and a kids' craft corner.
Friday, March 29, 2013
April & May Local Events
April 8
Sierra Vista Scenic Byway Association Annual Meeting, 7pm, National Forest Ranger District Board Room, 57003 Rd. 225 in North Fork. Guest speaker/singer: Jean Butterfield. Info: Website & 877-7779
April 20
North Fork Earth Day Fair, 10a-4pm, North Fork Mill Site, Info: 877-4620
May 11
Community Roadside Litter Cleanup, 8am-Noon, Meet at NF Post Office at 8am to pick up trash bags, Info: 877-2361
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
Monday, January 21, 2013
President Obama's 2013 Inaugural Address
I liked this speech. I wanted to share this with everyone, so I borrowed the text of President Obama's inaugural address from the ABC News website.They also have a video to view on their site.
The Word Cloud of the speech was created by me using Wordle.Click on the Word Cloud to enlarge it so you may read the words.
Monday, January 21, 2013 Washington, DC
As Prepared for Delivery --
Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:
Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional -- what makes us American -- is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.
For more than two hundred years, we have.
Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.
Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers.
Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.
Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune.
Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society's ills can be cured through government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, are constants in our character.
But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today's world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we'll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.
This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America's possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it -- so long as we seize it together.
For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that America's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.
We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our creed.
We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other -- through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security -- these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.
We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries -- we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure -- our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.
We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.
We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully -- not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice -- not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.
We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths -- that all of us are created equal -- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.
It is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.
That is our generation's task -- to make these words, these rights, these values -- of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness -- real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time -- but it does require us to act in our time.
For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today's victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.
My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction -- and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.
They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.
You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country's course.
You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time -- not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.
Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.
Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
The Word Cloud of the speech was created by me using Wordle.Click on the Word Cloud to enlarge it so you may read the words.
Monday, January 21, 2013 Washington, DC
As Prepared for Delivery --
Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:
Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our Constitution. We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colors of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional -- what makes us American -- is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Today we continue a never-ending journey, to bridge the meaning of those words with the realities of our time. For history tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing; that while freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people here on Earth. The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob. They gave to us a Republic, a government of, and by, and for the people, entrusting each generation to keep safe our founding creed.
For more than two hundred years, we have.
Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could survive half-slave and half-free. We made ourselves anew, and vowed to move forward together.
Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce; schools and colleges to train our workers.
Together, we discovered that a free market only thrives when there are rules to ensure competition and fair play.
Together, we resolved that a great nation must care for the vulnerable, and protect its people from life's worst hazards and misfortune.
Through it all, we have never relinquished our skepticism of central authority, nor have we succumbed to the fiction that all society's ills can be cured through government alone. Our celebration of initiative and enterprise; our insistence on hard work and personal responsibility, are constants in our character.
But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today's world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we'll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation, and one people.
This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America's possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it -- so long as we seize it together.
For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it. We believe that America's prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship. We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American, she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.
We understand that outworn programs are inadequate to the needs of our time. We must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools, and empower our citizens with the skills they need to work harder, learn more, and reach higher. But while the means will change, our purpose endures: a nation that rewards the effort and determination of every single American. That is what this moment requires. That is what will give real meaning to our creed.
We, the people, still believe that every citizen deserves a basic measure of security and dignity. We must make the hard choices to reduce the cost of health care and the size of our deficit. But we reject the belief that America must choose between caring for the generation that built this country and investing in the generation that will build its future. For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm. The commitments we make to each other -- through Medicare, and Medicaid, and Social Security -- these things do not sap our initiative; they strengthen us. They do not make us a nation of takers; they free us to take the risks that make this country great.
We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries -- we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure -- our forests and waterways; our croplands and snowcapped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That's what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.
We, the people, still believe that enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war. Our brave men and women in uniform, tempered by the flames of battle, are unmatched in skill and courage. Our citizens, seared by the memory of those we have lost, know too well the price that is paid for liberty. The knowledge of their sacrifice will keep us forever vigilant against those who would do us harm. But we are also heirs to those who won the peace and not just the war, who turned sworn enemies into the surest of friends, and we must carry those lessons into this time as well.
We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully -- not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear. America will remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe; and we will renew those institutions that extend our capacity to manage crisis abroad, for no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation. We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom. And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice -- not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice.
We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths -- that all of us are created equal -- is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a preacher say that we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.
It is now our generation's task to carry on what those pioneers began. For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country. Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.
That is our generation's task -- to make these words, these rights, these values -- of Life, and Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness -- real for every American. Being true to our founding documents does not require us to agree on every contour of life; it does not mean we will all define liberty in exactly the same way, or follow the same precise path to happiness. Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time -- but it does require us to act in our time.
For now decisions are upon us, and we cannot afford delay. We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. We must act, knowing that our work will be imperfect. We must act, knowing that today's victories will be only partial, and that it will be up to those who stand here in four years, and forty years, and four hundred years hence to advance the timeless spirit once conferred to us in a spare Philadelphia hall.
My fellow Americans, the oath I have sworn before you today, like the one recited by others who serve in this Capitol, was an oath to God and country, not party or faction -- and we must faithfully execute that pledge during the duration of our service. But the words I spoke today are not so different from the oath that is taken each time a soldier signs up for duty, or an immigrant realizes her dream. My oath is not so different from the pledge we all make to the flag that waves above and that fills our hearts with pride.
They are the words of citizens, and they represent our greatest hope.
You and I, as citizens, have the power to set this country's course.
You and I, as citizens, have the obligation to shape the debates of our time -- not only with the votes we cast, but with the voices we lift in defense of our most ancient values and enduring ideals.
Let each of us now embrace, with solemn duty and awesome joy, what is our lasting birthright. With common effort and common purpose, with passion and dedication, let us answer the call of history, and carry into an uncertain future that precious light of freedom.
Thank you, God Bless you, and may He forever bless these United States of America.
(Copyright ©2013 KFSN-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
© Copyright 2013 North Fork News
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